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This is an example of what I don't get about some special extra something about black homophobia.
It sounds exactly like what went on everywhere I ever went to school starting about fifth grade with queer this and queer that. It took me awhile to figure beyond, sissy or chicken. (LA 50s)
But, it was the same in the mostly white schools later on in the Valley. It was annoying. We had queer's day, which was Thursday, which meant you were supposed to slug somebody you knew in the arm, aiming for where the bone is, so it really hurt. In fact it was so all pervasive, I started to wonder what's with these guys? It was what I would call now a morbid fascination.
I mean this is exactly why there is a gay and lesbian civil rights issue.
So, if we are going to discuss this, we really need a tighter breakdown on age, gender, income, education, etc, before we get to an extra black thang. Cultural impressions don't work too well. The way I read whatever I would label white, all I see is a profound homophobia. It's mostly a more coded form is all.
Here's what I think, once you do that breakdown you will find a very similar pattern to everybody else pro and con on this issue. I am sure there are some differences, and it would be very interesting to see what those differences are. My bet would be some particular combination of age, gender and income on the pro and con sides are different than say similar combinations in the white vote pro, con...
Well, unless there is some black, queer activist out there who feels like de-lurking and setting me straight on the issue. (offlist if you want, and then I'll shut up)
See, then I think, you know it wouldn't help. Just like I can't see the African American community as a black man my age does, he can't see a so-called white community the way I do.
About the only difference I can think of is a lot more African Americans are more blunt about their views. So there is a kind of PC thing going on in the white... But see even that doesn't hold up, because there are so few white working class guys around, and the few I know are more blunt...
Maybe I've been living in the East Bay too long... I am pretty sure the vote here was strong opposition to Prop 8. So if there was anywhere some special black thang on queerdom would have an effect, it would be here...
Somebody post the Prop 8 results for Oakland-Berkeley or Alameda County. I am too lazy to look it up...
CG